Circuit-interrupter



.I. N. MAHONEY AND J. B. MYACNEILL- CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER. I APPLIFATION man mvls. 1911.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET l I I F l l I I WITNESSES: INVENTORS p 6' Joseph NMa/voneyd- Jon/7 Mac IVe/l/ 1. N. MAHONEY AND 1'. B. MAcNEILL.

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER. I

vAPPLICATION FILED MAY15, 1917.

1,386,01 1 Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

6 SHEE IS-SHEET Z.

WITNESSES: INVENTORS m Jase /7 A/, MO/YOHQU 3 JM Jo/vg 5 Mac/Vefl/ I AT/TORNEY J. N. MAHONEY AND J.- B. MAcNEILL.

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER.

APPLICATION FILED NAY15, 1917.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3- lNVENTORS 7 Joseph /V. Mafia/raga? Jo/m 5, Mac/Ve/W WITNESSES; 4

ATTORNEY J. N. MAHO NEY AND 1. B. MAcNEILL.

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER.

v APPLICATION men MAYI5; I917. 1,386,01 1 Pat nted Aug. 2, 1921.

v QSHEETS-SHEETS WITNESSES: J h NWEhNTORS e m 056,0 a on eg M /h%a w John B, MaC/Ve/fl J. N. MAHONEY AND J. B. MAcNEILL.

' CIRCUIT-INT ERRUPTER. APPLICATION FIILED MAYI5, I917.

1,386,01 1 I Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

2 ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPK N. MAHONEY AND JOHN B. MACNEILL, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A

CIRCUIT-INTERRUPTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

Application filed May 15,1917. Serial No. 168,676.

To all 1c 72 0m it may concern:

Be it known that we, J osEPH N. MAHONEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of VVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and JOHN B. MAoNmLL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Circuit-Interrupters, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to circuit interrupters and particularly to interrupters having a plurality of etc 5 In their operation.

One object 0 our invention is to provide a single-operating-rod circuit interrupter that shall have means for obtaining an interval of time between the operation of its main and auxiliary contact members.

I Another object of our invention is to provide a resistance type of circuit interrupter that shall have a minimum number of stationary contact terminals.

Another object of our invention is to provide an interrupter that shall-be adapted to be closed slowly and to have its final opening occur after the movable operating rod has attained its maximum speed.

A further object of our invention is-to provide a circuit interrupter of the above indicated character that shall be compact in design and eflicient in its operation.

In practising our invention, we provide a circuit interrupter having three stationary terminal members two of which are provided with single contact members and the other one of which is provided with a double contact member. A single operating rod is provided with a main bridging contact member at one end that is adapted to engage one of the single and one of the double contact members. Two auxiliary contact members are pivotally mounted on the operating rod above the main bridging member andat an angle thereto. The auxiliary contact members are yieldingly restrained in their upper positions by springs and are adapted to engage one of the-single and one of the double contact members an interval of time before the main contact members are engaged. Such a circuit interrupter is applicable either for inserting resistance in a circuit before the circuit is entirely closed and opened,'respectively, or to cause the circuit to be opened and closed ata plurality of points to relieve the disturbances incident to the switching thereof. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 1s a slde elevational view, with parts broken away, of a circuit interrupter embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the circuit interrupter shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail views of the stationary terminal members of the interrupter shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 6'is a detail plan View of the movable contact members shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a detail elevational view of the main movable contact members; and Fig. 8 is a detail elevational view of the auxiliary contact members embodying our invention.

The circuit interrupter 1 comprises, in general, a supporting base 2, an oil-containing receptacle 3, a pneumatic operating device 4, stationary terminal members 5, 6 and 7, a movable operating rod 8, a main movable bridging member 9, auxiliary pivotally mounted members 10 and 11 and a linkage mechanism 12 for operativelyconnecting the rod 8 to the operating device 4.

The stationary terminal members 5, 6 and 7 are so mounted on the supporting member 2 that the terminal member 7 is the stress on the same will be evenly distributed over its entire contact surface when its corresponding movable contact member is brought into engagement therewith. The contact members 14 and 15 do not form a part of our present invention except in so far as they cooperate with other means to obtain the desired results and are clearly shown and described in Patent No- 1,323,300, for

circuit interrupter, issued Dec. 2, 1919, to' J. N. Mahoney and assigned to the estinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. The stationary terminal member 7' is provided with a yoke member 16 upon one end of which is mounted a stationary contact member 17 and upon the other end of which is mounted a main contact member 18 and an arcing tip or auxiliary contact member 19. The contactmembers 18 and 19 are similar to contact members 14 and 15 and need not be further described.

The main bridging member 9 is secured to the lower end of the rod 8 and comprises two main contact members 20 and 21 and two arcing tips or auxiliary contact members 22 and 23, the contact members 20 and 22 being disposed at one end of the member 9 and the members 21 and 23 being disposed at the other end thereof. The movable contact members 20 and 22 are adapted to engage the stationary contact members 14 and 15, respectively, and the movable contact members- 21 and 23 are adapted to engage the said stationa contact members 18 and 19, respectively. he two auxiliary members 10 and 11 are pivotally mounted by means of a pin 24 on the rod 8 at a point above the ridging member 9 and they form an angle with respect to the member 9. A contact member 25, that is adapted to engage the stationary contact member 13, is mounted on the member .10 and a contact member 26, that is adapted to engagethe stationary contact member 17, is mounted on the member 11. Springs 27 and 28 are disposed between a projection 29 on the member 10 and a portion of the rod 8 for the purpose of holding the member 10 normally in position shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. Similarly, springs 30 and 31 are disposed between a projection 32 on the member 11 and the rod 8 to hold the contact member 26 in the position shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. Conductors 33 are connected between the contact members 25 and 26 for the purpose of causing the members 10 and 11 to constitute a bridging member between the stationary contact members 13 and 17 under predetermined conditions.

One conductor 34 of the circuit to be protected is connected to the terminal 6 and the other conductor 35 of the circuit is connected to the terminal 7. A resistor or other cur-- rent limiting device 36 is connected between the terminals 5 and 6 if it is desired that the interrupter 1 be adapted to insert a current limiting medium in circuit before the circuit is finally closed and opened, respectively. However, if it is desired that the interrupter 1 constitute a means for interrupting a circuit at a number of points, the resistor 36 maiy be omitted.

f it is desired to complete the circuit be tween the conductors 34 and 35, the operating device 4 is energized by the admission of some form of fluid, suchas air, and the rod 8 is moved upwardly by reason of the operation of the linkage mechanism 12. When the rod 8 has moveda relatively short.

distance upwardly, the contact members 25 and 26 engage the stationary contact member$ 13 an 17 upon the terminal members 5 and 7. This completes a circuit from the conductor 34 through the resistor 36, the terminal 5, the stationary contact member 13, the movable contact member 25. the conductors 33, the movable contact member 26, the stationary contact member 17'and the terminal 7 to the conductor 35. hen this circuit is completed, the rush of current will be impeded because of the insertion of the resistor 36, and this retarding action of the current will continue as the rod 8 moves upwardly.

Since the members 10 and 11 are pivotally mounted on the rod 8, further movement of the same will cause the springs 27 and 28, 3O and-31 to be compressed and the members 10 and 11 to move downwardly to the positions shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. While the members 10 and 11 are being moved downwardly, the contact members 25 and 26 continue in sliding engagement with the stationary contact members 13 and 17, respectively. After the members 10 and 11 have almost reached the position shown in Fig. 1, the arcing contact members 22 and 23 engage the arcing contact members 15 and 19, respectively. Further movement of the rod 8 compresses tlie springs 37 and 38 of the arc-' seen that the final closure of the interrupter 1 is relatively slow, and the disturbance of the circuit incident to the closureof the same is obviated.

When it is desired to open the interrupter, the linkage mechanism12 is released and the rod 8 is moved downwardly. The-main contact members 20 and 21 disengage the contact members 14and 18, followed after an interval of time by the disengagement of the arcing contact members 22 and 23 and 15 and 19, respectively. After the rod 8 has reached itsmaximum accelerationby reason of the force of gravity and the expansionof the springs 27, 28, 30 and 31, the members 10 and 11 assume the positions shown in Fig. ,8 of the drawings and the contact members 25 and 26 disengage the stationary contact members 13 and 17. Thus, the final opening of the interrupter 1 is obtained while the operating mechanism is traveling at its greatest speed, and, consequently, the final interruption will be accomplished in a relatively quick time to thereby interrupt the circuit without undue disturbance therein.

By the use of our invention only a single operating rod is, necessary to obtain the sequential operation of the main and auxiliary contact members and a minimum number of terminal members is required, Thus, the cost of construction is materially reduced over that of resistance types of interrupters heretofore constructed, and a relatively compact and efiicient device is obtained.

We do not limit our invention to the particular arrangements illustrated as various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a circuit interrupter, the combination with a single movable member having relatively movable contact members mounted thereon and angularly disposed with respect to each other, of three stationary terminal members, single contact members mounted on two of the terminal members, and a double contact member mounted on the other terminal member, said stationary contact members being engaged by the movable contact members. i

2. In a circuit interrupter, the combination with a single operating rod having four contact members mounted thereon and angularly disposed with respect to each other, of three stationary terminal members, single contact members mounted on two of the terminal members, and a double contact member mounted on the other terminal member, said stationary contact members being adapted to be engaged by the respective movable contact members.

3. In a circuit interrupter, the combination with a single actuating rod, two bridging contact members mounted thereon, of three stationary contact terminals, single contact members mounted on two terminals,-

,m'embers pivot'ally mounted on the rod at substantially right angles to the-bridging member, and means for yieldingly maintaining the oppositely disposed contact members in predetermined positions.

5.'In a circuit interrupter, the combination with a single actuating rod, of a bridging contact member mounted at one end thereof, two oppositely disposed contact ingly maintaining the said contact members in predetermined positions with respect to the rod.

6. In a circuit interrupter, the'combination with a single movable operating rod having two main contact members and tWo resiliently mounted contact members thereon, of two single stationary contact members, and a double stationary contact member, said main contact member being positioned to engage one of the single and one of the double stationary contact members an interval of time after the resiliently mounted contact members engage the other single and the other double stationary contact members.

7. In a circuit interrupter, the combination with three stationary terminal members and a single movable member, of a main bridging contact member mounted pn the single movable member, and an' auxiliary bridging contact member mounted above the main bridging member on the movable member at substantially right angles to the main bridging member, said movable contact members being positioned to engage the stationary terminal members in a predetermined sequence.

8. In combination, a circuit interrupter comprising a plurality of movable bridging contact structures, a single operating member therefor, a pair of stationary contact members for-cooperation with each bridging structure, and a current-retarding device connected between one contact member of oneof said pairs of stationary contact members and one contact member of another of said pairs thereof.

9. A circuit interrupter comprising a plurality of movable bridging contact structures, a single operating member therefor and a pair of stationary contact members for cooperation with" each bridging structure, said bridging structures and said stationary contact members being'constructed to constitute a plurality of parallel circuit paths and to interrupt each of said paths at a plurality of positions.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto sub s7cribed our names this 30th day of April, 191

JOSEPH N. MAHONEY. JOHN B. MACNEILL. 

